Which New Deal law focused on the employment of the unemployed and regulation of unfair business practices, creating codes for fair competition and the NRA, and was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court?

• A. National Industrial Expansion Act
• B. National Production Act
• C. Recovery and Labor Act
• D. National Recovery Act

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is the National Industrial Recovery Act, a 1933 New Deal law that tried to revive the economy by coordinating industry and protecting workers. It created the National Recovery Administration to draft and enforce codes of fair competition across industries. These codes established standards for wages and hours and included provisions supporting workers’ right to organize. By standardizing practices and boosting wages, the act aimed to curb unfair competition and help stimulate production, which would create jobs for the unemployed. In 1935 the Supreme Court ruled this approach unconstitutional, saying Congress had delegated too much legislative power to the President and that the act overstepped the Commerce Clause by reaching intrastate activities.